Vintage Photos of Clark Lake, Jackson County, Michigan: 1900-1950

Clark Lake in Jackson County has been one of the county's biggest draws since the 1800s. Parties, swimming, boating, fishing, entertainment...it was (and still is) all there. In the past it was also known as “Clark's Lake” and “Clarklake”....but the moniker that has been the most widely accepted is “Clark Lake”.

In 1824, a government surveyor from Monroe, Robert Clark, came here and was the man responsible for the name. In 1833, George Stranahan was the first to settle here – north side, west end – and a village began to grow. It was also a railway station on the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railroad known as “Clarklake”.

According to Clark Lake Spirit, the very first park in Jackson County was the Clark Lake County Park on the east end. It was in the spring of 1825 when a member of the County Board of Supervisors, Emmett Windle, “produced a map to show that many sections of county lakes had been fenced off, barring bathers from beaches.” To retaliate, he came up with a plan to implement a good number of county parks along the lakes of Jackson County. “As a result of his vision, the Jackson County Park system was established.” And the Clark Lake County Park became the first in June 1825.

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In the gallery below are a good number of vintage photos of Clark Lake, including Eagle Point, Pleasant View Hotel, the yacht club, the old depot, old general store, and a few other establishments and surprises, from 1900 to the 1950s.